By Jack Canfora Back in the waning days of the Coolidge Administration, I was but a young lad training to be a Shakespearean actor in London at a prestigious academy which, as I attended it, has reached a financial arrangement with me assuring I never mention it by name. We were taught by a man who presented himself in a way that suggested God decided … Continue reading Some Cliched Advise About Avoiding Cliches
I fondly remember the days of grammar-school playgrounds; of brown-bagged lunches; of field trips to museums, caverns, and coal mines. I remember the sense of belonging within those classroom walls. There was a constance amongst us kids: a comradery that strengthened with each lesson, each game, each talent show. The questions we asked were not stupid, but welcomed. We were family. And as the decades … Continue reading SnapDragon Speaks: On The Same Side.
In the spirit of Easter, let’s talk about forgiveness—forgiveness with the most important relationship you can have. How difficult do you find it to forgive yourself? . . E. L. Jayne’s blog can be found here. Continue reading Question of the Day – No. 514
Billy Osogo The Covid-19 pandemic has greatly changed life as we knew it heretofore. With severe restrictions on movement imposed by most governments, there’s only so much one can do. Part of what I have had more time to do during this pandemic is to read widely. There’s something exclusively inimitable about the written word. It’s ability to teleport the reader to rooms, worlds and … Continue reading ON WRITING
“If you ask a thousand people if they want to be rich, every one except the poet and the mystic will say yes.” -BR If someone asked you if you wanted to be rich, with all the conveniences and consequences considered, would you say yes or no? . . As a self-proclaimed poet, I’d also say no. . . E.L. Jayne’s poetry blog can be … Continue reading Question of the Day – No. 512
“When you accept yourself, the whole world accepts you.” Easier said than done, right? To love yourself at the current moment is complex enough, but what about who you used to be? What about the parts of yourself you aren’t proud of? What about the tedious pieces which still need tending to? To truly love yourself, you must accept the unrecognizable part of yourself as … Continue reading How to Love the Unrecognizable Part of Yourself
By E.L. Jayne Would you rather have loved and lost or never have loved at all? Continue reading To Love or To Not Love?
I’m afraid of the dark. Like, for real. And it’s not because I think there are trolls in the basement, or Civil War ghosts in the attic. (But—ahem—now that I’ve revived that thought, I might crawl into bed even earlier tonight.) (pulls the blanket up to her chin) I’m afraid of my own mind. Because as soon as the sun sets, I feel an impending … Continue reading SnapDragon Speaks: On The Dark.
Provided by Billy Osogo | Dr Brené Brown, in her insightful book, I Thought It Was Just Me, writes about “knowing laughter.” She defines it as “laughter that results from recognizing the universality of our shared experiences, both positive and negative.” Continue reading Knowing Laughter
*BEEP* your alarm clocks goes off for the umpteenth time of quarantine. The past and present fade together as the days play an infinite loop. In January I posted an article here called How To Love the Repetition of Life. Little did I know that quarantine and a global lockdown that would last for months was around the corner. Looking back on my article, I … Continue reading How To Cope With the Monotony of Life
“The principle of freedom must be our first commitment, for without this no one is immune against the virus of aggrandizement – the impulse to grab power, wealth, position, or reputation at the expense of others.” – HERBERT DOUGLASS – SOURCE:THE COST OF FREEDOM True freedom is a commitment to experiencing the very real limitations of our choices. We will always have to live with some sort of, … Continue reading Why Freedom Demands Responsibility
By Ellen Jayne When was the last time you did something by yourself? Truly by yourself, and for yourself? Continue reading Ignite Your Independence
If I could start all over again, I’d only focus on my body being strong. The hell with the numbers. If I could start all over again, I’d go into meetings with confidence. I have a right to be here. If I could start all over again, I’d make more time for reading. For crafting. For being in bed. If I could start all over … Continue reading SnapDragon Speaks: On Starting Over.
Provided by ellieejay My first international class in Guatemala, followed by a semester in London, then a semester in Granada… and what do I have to say for myself? I’ve learned nothing. Contrary to popular belief and folktales told by previous students who have studied internationally, living abroad for 5 months does not make you a world expert or even a world traveler. Needless to … Continue reading I’ve Studied Abroad 3 Times & I’ve Learned Nothing
This is a topic vastly approached by our today’s society and whilst all of what it is saying is true, there is a slight different approach to that and I must say, it’s less selfish. Ok, we all know the phrases “we only have one life” and “we should put ourselves first so we can help others” and all of that, but what if … Continue reading Treat Yourself like You Matter!
We know that practice makes everything better, but does that apply to writing as well? I mean, how does writing improve? Based on what? If I write the same crap over and over again that makes me better? Probably not. It will probably be easier to find the same words and phrases, but if I don’t learn new things, I don’t think my writing will … Continue reading Is Writing Self-Improving?
This is a veeeery tricky and important question for me. I don’t even know if I should ask it. So what is blogging? A blog is a site, but what does this verb refer to? Is it about writing? Is it about reading? Is it about both and many more? Is the purpose of it involved in the definition? I’m pointless overthinking, I know. But … Continue reading What does Blogging really mean?
Does it ever happened to you to feel an impulse to write, even though the moments are not so appropriate? And even stranger, when you want to write, the words won’t come? It very often happens to me to just wander around and all of a sudden BOOM! Writing idea! And then I pounder on it for a minute or two and then I say … Continue reading The Impulse to Write
Terry Pratchett said that there is no such thing as writer’s block. If so, how should we define the moments when it seems that our bucket of ideas is empty? How do we put words where it seems to be nothing but darkness? And moreover, how we decide which words to use when no words seem to be required? I don’t know if it counts … Continue reading Dealing with writer’s block…
And How It Can’t Traveling Definition — Google Search to go from one place to another, as by car, train, plane, or ship; take a trip; journey: to travel for pleasure. to move or go from one place or point to another. to proceed or advance in any way. (As found on dictionary.com) I’m talking about the first definition. Where you use a mode of transport to lift your … Continue reading How Traveling Could Make You A Better Person
